Cataract surgery continues to evolve as modifications in techniques are introduced. Extracapsular surgery, whether by phacoemulsification or planned extracapsular cataract extraction, is a very safe and effective technique. Maintaining versatility in operative techniques, depending on the clinical situation, is a distinct challenge for the cataract surgeon. Adequate surgical planning, coupled with meticulous surgical technique, gives optimal results. Innovations in wound architecture provide intraoperative and postoperative advantages to the surgeon and to the patient. Capsulorhexis is the preferred method of capsulotomy in phacoemulsification and planned extracapsular cataract extraction. Hydrodissection and related techniques are useful in all types of extracapsular cataract extraction. This article reviews techniques in cataract surgery with an emphasis on the recent literature.